Time Warner bandwidth-cap trial tops out at 40GB/month
Tue Jun 3, 2008 12:17PM EDT
See Comments (20)
Think Comcast's proposal of a 250GB/month bandwidth limit is bad? Under Time Warner Cable's trial program, subscribers to the top-tier plan only get 40GB of data—equal to about eight HD movie downloads—per month.
Word of Time Warner's pilot program for subscribers in Beaumont, Texas first leaked back in January, and now the AP reports that the trial is set to begin this Thursday.
The details: On the low end, $29.95 a month gets you 768kbps download speeds (comparable to DSL) and a measly 5GB data cap. The high-end $54.90/month plans gets you 15MB downloads—pretty speedy—but a still-stingy 40GB bandwidth cap.
Time Warner will provide a "gas gauge" on its Web site to let users know if they've busted over the limit, according to the AP. Those who go over the limit will be charged $1 a gigabyte.
As I wrote back in January, it's one thing to penalize users who are downloading and/or uploading pirated HD movies via BitTorrent all day.
But a 40GB cap for everyone—on the high end? Given that legal HD movie downloads are about 5GB each? It makes Comcast's proposal of a 250GB/month bandwidth cap look positively magnanimous.
Now, Time Warner Cable's trial in Beaumont is, after all, just a trial. It might simple play out and die a quick, painless death.
In an event, I hope TWC learns its lesson: That in the coming age of mass-market (and legal) video downloads, a 40GB bandwidth cap is nowhere near enough, especially for a whopping $55 a month.
Indeed, if Time Warner moves ahead with its trial plan on a national basis I might just have to go back to DSL. Or move to Comcast territory.
Related:
Time Warner Cable tries metering Internet use [Yahoo! News]
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Comments on Time Warner bandwidth-cap trial tops out at 40GB/month
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7 Posted by warguild5000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:40PM EDT Report Abuse
I didn't know there was any companies other then hosting providers putting a badwidth limit on how much you can download. For a gamer that's beyond retarded, playing an online game like Call of Duty 4 or any RPG you could probably use that in a week. If my ISP ever puts a limit on bandwidth I'm canceling service ill miss the internet but forget bandwidth caps the internet tax is bad enough.
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8 Posted by vonzorfox on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:38PM EDT Report Abuse
Go ahead Time Warner cap me and you will loose me. Plain and simple!
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9 Posted by goodwinwilliam@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:11PM EDT Report Abuse
Give Time Warner execs the Dunce-cap. Try wringing more money out of me and you'll be dropped like a hot potato. Enough already people, don't stand for this if it holds up....
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10 Posted by cyrusthevirus81@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:33PM EDT Report Abuse
If I don't have unlimeted I find someone else. and 5gb? lol I can go through that in less than 2 hours downloading a movie off xbox live.
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11 Posted by discountbacon on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:43PM EDT Report Abuse
Wow, are they retarded? The day this takes affect under my service, is the day I go back to DSL or even dialup. This is so ridiculous beyond reason. They're only harming their company + reputation. Customers aren't going to put up with this, which should be clearly obvious to them, anyway.
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12 Posted by coasterman1234 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:28PM EDT Report Abuse
This is the worst decision Time Warner can possibly make, that will hopefully cost them thousands of customers in that Texas area. Its not the customers fault for the bandwidth problem, its TIME WARNER'S FAULT for NOT investing in THEIR infrastructure to keep up. I'm a Time Warner customer and should they decide to impose this limit nationwide, I will be changing and encouraging all the other people I know that use any Time Warner service to change as well.
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13 Posted by rhosigma on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:38PM EDT Report Abuse
and what about all the hardcore gamers???
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14 Posted by paintatlanta on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:48PM EDT Report Abuse
Unbelievable how these monopoly organizations walk all over us. I hope they lose enough customers to make a difference to them. But, for the author who mentioned moving to Comcast territory... Don't expect any different. Their service rates about 2 on a 100 scale. They lie, steal and whatever else they can do to offer as little as possible for as much as possible. They have no competition, so they don't care.
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15 Posted by kelliedkingery on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:49PM EDT Report Abuse
WOW!!! Time Warner is getting on the let's screw the little people wagon too. I wondered how long it would take. With gas prices increasing and natural gas prices on an all time high, no working class person can afford anything but getting back and forth to work if that. TW wants to limit internet time. What is TW trying to prove? I guess the rich do get richer and the poor just go to work and pay all the taxes.
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16 Posted by jeffrey_tl on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:32PM EDT Report Abuse
Some companies charge you to call customer service because they prefer you to do things online. Other companies are promoting movie downloads. Almost everything you buy now (refridgerators, gaming devices, DVR's, etc) has internet connection so your home can be wired but then they are going to cap the service that you need to have all those things work? Your screwed one way or another. What if you have VOIP, does that get included in your download/upload limit? Of course if they decide that capping is a bad idea they will just increase rates across the board anyway.
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17 Posted by froelkeworld on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:03PM EDT Report Abuse
Time Warner is just trying to take advantage of people or also called rip-offs!
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18 Posted by lilgate1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:51PM EDT Report Abuse
Well people just take your business....else where maybe DSL...see what the big companys do without customers..
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19 Posted by avsblues19 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:00PM EDT Report Abuse
The only good thing about Time Warner is RoadRunner and now they want to screw that up. I also get Time Warner cable service and all they do is remove channels and charge more. KelliedKingrey--Most of the poor do not pay taxes, and the so called "rich" pay up to 50% of all taxes.
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20 Posted by snahetu on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:30PM EDT Report Abuse
Exactly, I agree, stop using big companies, do a little research and find a local company. The one I found offered twice the service for half the price. Plus I can actually walk in the door and get face to face service. Besides, putting your money into local businesses and market helps to boost the economy of your surrounding area, rather than pouring it into the the big corporations VERY greedy pockets.
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6 Posted by josephthomasenos on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:41PM EDT Report Abuse
Unbelievable - This puts us back in the old days from the 80s where you had to pay per minute with Prodigy or Compuserve or AOL - the internet isn't supposed to be like that. I agree with comment #1 - They need to learn that customers won't put up with that garbage.